Why Is Paganism Rising?

[sethoflagos]

2 hours ago, Phi for All said:

How many of these new pagans have always been pagans, just uncounted or misnamed as "free spirits"?

Depends on how exactly the word is understood.

Quote

Pagan and heathen are primarily the same in meaning; but pagan is sometimes distinctively applied to those nations that, although worshiping false gods, are more cultivated, as the Greeks and Romans, and heathen to uncivilized idolaters, as the tribes of Africa. A Mohammedan is not counted a pagan much less a heathen. [Century Dictionary, 1897]

I guess there's an unspoken assumption here of the early 20th century switch in meaning to modern pantheists and nature-worshippers of a distinctly English tradition (a far cry from its original meaning of 'peasant'). If that's the concept we're working with then I'd tend to look at trends in book and DVD sales of Lord of the Rings rather than tiktok polls.

I feel that being a 'free spirit' and self-identifying as part of a countable group are mutually exclusive.

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by sethoflagos

[swansont]

58 minutes ago, sethoflagos said:

Depends on how exactly the word is understood.

Also depends on how the poll is worded. 

[iNow]

Hence my request for source 

[Intoscience]

16 hours ago, exchemist said:

On this occasion it looks as if @iNow is on the money, cf. This thread, started today on another forum: https://www.religiousforums.com/threads/why-is-paganism-rising.270436/ 

Fair enough. 

[zapatos]

Was he just asking the same thing on two forums?

[iNow]

My read... obviously is possible I'm mistaken... is that this was just someone spamming their own youtube video and pretending it was created by someone else.

But at least I racked up 3 negs for being a bit firm in my pushback. I'm such a jerk. Lol.

[zapatos]

Ah, I get it. Certainly seems a reasonable conclusion.

[Moontanman]

Could it be that watching naked girls dance around a bonfire is more fun than listening to a preacher tell you how badly you are going to burn in hell if you don't stop watching naked girls dance around a fire? 

[iNow]

20 minutes ago, zapatos said:

Ah, I get it. Certainly seems a reasonable conclusion.

The part about me being a jerk, right?  

[zapatos]

🤣

[TheVat]

6 hours ago, Moontanman said:

Could it be that watching naked girls dance around a bonfire is more fun than listening to a preacher tell you how badly you are going to burn in hell if you don't stop watching naked girls dance around a fire? 

The Church potlucks are better, too.  

[MigL]

Sometimes INow can be a pompous ass, but most of the time he's bang on the money with his reasoning, and has a low threshold for suffering fools.
Sorry, I could only reverse one of the three neg reps.

Is it just me, or does anyone else see an incongruence between the recent technology of the internet having spawned an interest in our ancestral ties to nature that is classified as paganism ?

[iNow]

28 minutes ago, MigL said:

Sometimes INow can be a pompous ass

Sometimes? 😆 

Much obliged btw. 

28 minutes ago, MigL said:

Is it just me, or does anyone else see an incongruence between the recent technology of the internet having spawned an interest in our ancestral ties to nature that is classified as paganism ?

My first thought is that this is just a sampling bias. As in… It’s always existed with similar commonality, but you just happen to see it now more often. It takes on a heavier significance in your mind than it really deserves since it seems more frequent than it did before when our datasets were limited to the local herald and balding neighbors. 

Edited July 1, 2023 by iNow

[Lacedaemonian]

I follow the Hellenic religion. I do not believe in the existence of a God, but I rather follow the rules of religion as a way of life. For instance, I do not consider children born out of wedlock cursed as other religions did and do. Other things are adoration of the human body, adoration of nature, sports playing a key role in everyday life, etc. The principles of the Hellenic religion are almost identical to the post-60s cultural norm. 

In my neighborhood, I can think of at least three people who either believe in the Hellenic religion or in a mix of Christian-Hellenic worship. 

Fun fact: Greeks that follow Jesus are called Rhomaioi(Romans) because of the Byzantine Empire(Eastern Roman Empire), and Greeks that follow the old religion are called Ethnikoi(Nationals). 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Lacedaemonian

[jajrussel]

SFN may not approve of video's, but upon hearing about the naked girls, hmm. Oh yes, why is Paganism rising? Having once followed a major religion I found that my peers were more accepting of those called pagan. It’s kind of an oddity to me, but I could never quite get it right when asked what I believed. Apparently, it’s conditional that you absolutely agree, and rarely did I meet someone who would agree to disagree. Maybe it was just me, but I feel more comfortable around people more open to differences. Paganism is generally accepted as eclectic. It’s definition not written in stone to the extent that major religions are, or for that matter to the point where followers of Heathenism, or Wicca seem to be staking out their territories within what the major religions call the pagan community.

I remember when the Geraldines would issue challenge to name the god and goddess as writ of proof. Which, I never really understood because everyone supposedly knew that aside from being sacred those names were secret. But, why is Paganism rising, most simply the access and somewhat anonymity of the internet . Yes I know the perceived anonymity is pretty much a smokescreen, but if you watch the videos those claiming to be Pagan mostly cling to eclecticism. At least that is my perception, and my belief is, that is what makes it more appealing as a label one would feel comfortable wearing. In their videos Pagan personalities are almost always esthetically pleasing in both appearance and personality, so I would be surprised if belief in Paganism wasn’t rising. 

I didn’t watch the video so I don’t know if the question was actually about the video, but when it comes to matters of religion sometimes the question only presents to create a perception that doesn’t actually exist, which in the right atmosphere would definitely lead to a challenge for data. Often that is the case, but personally I would like to think that an interest in Paganism is rising, because I perceive it as eclectic, and I like that some people that are more open to differences do actually exist as a community that I can be a part of.

🤔 so long as they don’t ask for money…

[J.C.MacSwell]

Would the 1960s hippies be considered Pagans?

[dimreepr]

2 hours ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

Would the 1960s hippies be considered Pagans?

I think so, pagan seems to be a catch-all term for old-fashioned, with the associated assumption that that equals 'not as clever as us'.

3 hours ago, jajrussel said:

SFN may not approve of video's, but upon hearing about the naked girls, hmm. Oh yes, why is Paganism rising? Having once followed a major religion I found that my peers were more accepting of those called pagan. It’s kind of an oddity to me, but I could never quite get it right when asked what I believed. Apparently, it’s conditional that you absolutely agree, and rarely did I meet someone who would agree to disagree. Maybe it was just me, but I feel more comfortable around people more open to differences. Paganism is generally accepted as eclectic. It’s definition not written in stone to the extent that major religions are, or for that matter to the point where followers of Heathenism, or Wicca seem to be staking out their territories within what the major religions call the pagan community.

I remember when the Geraldines would issue challenge to name the god and goddess as writ of proof. Which, I never really understood because everyone supposedly knew that aside from being sacred those names were secret. But, why is Paganism rising, most simply the access and somewhat anonymity of the internet . Yes I know the perceived anonymity is pretty much a smokescreen, but if you watch the videos those claiming to be Pagan mostly cling to eclecticism. At least that is my perception, and my belief is, that is what makes it more appealing as a label one would feel comfortable wearing. In their videos Pagan personalities are almost always esthetically pleasing in both appearance and personality, so I would be surprised if belief in Paganism wasn’t rising. 

I didn’t watch the video so I don’t know if the question was actually about the video, but when it comes to matters of religion sometimes the question only presents to create a perception that doesn’t actually exist, which in the right atmosphere would definitely lead to a challenge for data. Often that is the case, but personally I would like to think that an interest in Paganism is rising, because I perceive it as eclectic, and I like that some people that are more open to differences do actually exist as a community that I can be a part of.

🤔 so long as they don’t ask for money…

Bolded mine, Case in point; the modern view is, I'm very clever if I can avoid, any form of social, tax... 🧐

 

[sethoflagos]

3 hours ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

Would the 1960s hippies be considered Pagans?

AFAIK they never controlled a Navy, so I guess so.

[TheVat]

3 hours ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

Would the 1960s hippies be considered Pagans?

Though many of the hippies sought spiritual goals outside the Christian tradition, there were some who were Christian and in the US were called Jesus Freaks.  AFAIK, they didn't control a navy, though some wore navy.

[Moontanman]

1 hour ago, dimreepr said:

I think so, pagan seems to be a catch-all term for old-fashioned, with the associated assumption that that equals 'not as clever as us'.

If I remember my history of paganism correctly the word pagan originally meant something along the lines of "backward", "uneducated" or "country bumpkin". 

26 minutes ago, sethoflagos said:

AFAIK they never controlled a Navy, so I guess so.

Navy? Can you elaborate? 

[TheVat]

5 minutes ago, Moontanman said:

If I remember my history of paganism correctly the word pagan originally meant something along the lines of "backward", "uneducated" or "country bumpkin". 

From the same Latin root as words like paisano or peasant.  I lived in a predominantly Italian neighborhood for a couple years and heard "paisano!" used a lot as a friendly greeting among Italo-Americans.  It no longer carries the meaning of rustic, just means fellow countryman.  

[J.C.MacSwell]

49 minutes ago, sethoflagos said:

AFAIK they never controlled a Navy, so I guess so.

Control no, but at times the Hippie Dippy Marine Weatherman would have had some influence....

[sethoflagos]

9 hours ago, Moontanman said:

Navy? Can you elaborate?

Just running with Weinreich's quip about the difference between a language and a dialect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_language_is_a_dialect_with_an_army_and_navy). 

[AIkonoklazt]

Welp, if you ever show up again I'll give you my opinion...

[jajrussel]

On 1/11/2024 at 7:49 AM, J.C.MacSwell said:

Would the 1960s hippies be considered Pagans?

I remember reading that the root of the word pagan was essentially equal to peasant/not of the city. Apparently, now it is said to be the term that Christian Romans etc. used to allude to anyone not of the Abrahamic religions generally as a slur. My observation is that pagans seem to prefer the peasant/not of the city referral. Was it the video thumbnail that prompted the question.

On 1/11/2024 at 9:57 PM, sethoflagos said:

Just running with Weinreich's quip about the difference between a language and a dialect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_language_is_a_dialect_with_an_army_and_navy). 

😂 I didn’t understand what was written in Wikipedia any more than I did the comment.

On 1/11/2024 at 12:23 PM, J.C.MacSwell said:

Control no, but at times the Hippie Dippy Marine Weatherman would have had some influence....

I assume by being an influence on those who grew up run the Navy? I remember hearing that most Hippies grew up to be Bankers, Doctors, Lawyer's, and such. I don’t know that George got that memo, but he was a good influence on some until the end.